From the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project:

There are many ways to go greens this month: beets, collards, kale, lettuce, and turnips, to name a few. There are lots of places to get greens, too—area farmers tailgate markets, grocery stores, and restaurants—thanks to ASAP’s Get Local initiative.

Participating Asheville Get Local restaurants from Early Girl to HomeGrown are whipping up delicious sautéed sides of Swiss chard and, of course, Southern-style collards. Early Girl also features local greens in their quiches and soups now. Fiore’s new fall menu incorporates local greens into their soups and stews, too. Find classic Italian preparations from warming white bean and escarole to bread stew. At Chai Pani, they’re using local spinach in traditional Saag Paneer, a creamy dish of greens and fresh Indian cheese.

There are even special events celebrating greens and seasonal produce, so mark your calendars. Ingles hosts a Taste of Local event on October 13 at their Tunnel Road location. Local farmers and vendors, whose products can be found in the store, will bring samples, and Chef Adam Hayes of Red Stag Grill will lead a cooking demonstration. His planned menu includes local bison sliders topped with Swiss chard and served with seasonal sides. Wine samples will also be available.

On October 23, beginning at 3:30 pm in Creperie Bouchon’s courtyard, ASAP and Asheville Grown Business Alliance will host a Feast Local social event. For $10, attendees can enjoy music and local seasonal hors d’oeuvres while mingling with area farmers and learning about the importance of our local food economy. A percentage of proceeds benefit both host organizations.

For a list of participating restaurants, visit the Get Local page of asapconnections.org. There, you’ll also find the 2011 calendar of featured foods and a Get Local school calendar; participating schools are serving local cabbage this month. Visit ASAP’s Local Food Guide online at buyappalachian.org to search by your favorite green variety.